After this incident, their relationship returned to normal. Chu Yi’s attitude towards Qiao Anchen improved significantly, which pleased him. To express his gratitude, Qiao Anchen treated Jin Ran to a meal of Hunan cuisine, as per Jin Ran’s strong request…

Lan City is a medium-sized city—not as well-known as provincial capitals and lacking famous tourist attractions. Its national status is only average, with crime rates kept under control and decreasing each year.

Qiao Anchen, working in the criminal prosecution department, felt he could finally relax a bit and take a breather this August.

Chu Yi noticed that he had been getting off work on time much more frequently recently. Consequently, she had been experimenting with new recipes online, changing the dishes every week. Qiao Anchen, to his honor, became her first taste tester.

“What… is this?” After getting home from work, Qiao Anchen changed his shoes, hung up his coat, and sat at the dining table, staring at a plate of black and green food in front of him.

“Tomato Sauce Bitter Melon~” Chu Yi smiled sweetly, propping her chin with her hands and handing him a pair of chopsticks.

“Try it; it’s my first time making it, learned from a blogger online!”

Qiao Anchen swallowed, his stomach growling audibly. He moved his lips and, with a sense of impending doom, picked up the chopsticks and reached for the strange-looking solid food.

Holding his breath, he put it in his mouth. It had an indescribable taste—slightly salty, a bit bitter—not terrible but quite peculiar.

He swallowed without changing his expression and took a sip of water from the cup beside him.

“How is it? How is it?” Chu Yi asked eagerly. Qiao Anchen nodded.

“It’s okay.”

“Really! I think so too!” Chu Yi’s face lit up with joy as she happily served him rice and soup.

“Eat more, okay?”

Qiao Anchen replied, “…Mm.”

Recently, the weather had been hot. After the start of autumn, there had been no rain, and the air felt like a steam room, quickly soaking clothes with sweat.

Chu Yi had become reluctant to go out. She relied on online grocery delivery for shopping. Today, she had specifically made bitter melon to cool down.

She watched with satisfaction as Qiao Anchen ate several pieces.

After taking a shower and going to bed, it was still early. Seeing Qiao Anchen finally had some free time, Chu Yi felt a sudden idea. She searched on her phone and found a romantic teen movie she had wanted to watch for a while.

This was the highest-rated youth film in the past two years, telling the story of a couple who fell in love in their youth and eventually separated due to misunderstandings.

Though the plot was conventional, it wasn’t melodramatic. The main actors performed well, and the director captured a beautiful and romantic style, earning widespread acclaim and rekindling many viewers’ nostalgia for their student days.

Chu Yi nudged Qiao Anchen, her tone a bit coquettish.

“Do you want to watch a movie together? I’ve wanted to see this for a long time, but no one has accompanied me.”

Qiao Anchen put down his book, thought for a moment, and felt the scene seemed familiar. He couldn’t help but recall Chu Yi’s previous reaction.

In just a few seconds, Qiao Anchen removed his glasses.

“Sure,” he said.

It was rare for Qiao Anchen to willingly accompany her, which surprised and even touched Chu Yi. She immediately got up from bed to set up the projector.

“Great! We finally get to watch a movie together.”

In fact, the two had never really done those common couple activities. After their first meeting through the matchmaking, their interactions had mostly been limited to dinners or walks after Qiao Anchen’s work or during his free time.

During that period, Qiao Anchen seemed to be extremely busy, and Chu Yi mostly met him only for dinner, which sometimes had to be cut short as he went back to work.

On the rare weekends, they either visited their parents or missed out due to other reasons. One particularly memorable incident was when her house’s water pipe suddenly burst one morning. She was completely immersed in sleep until other residents came knocking on her door.

……

“Open the door! I know you’re home!”

“I’m a resident downstairs. Our house is almost flooded by the water from yours! What’s going on in there?”

Huh?

A resident downstairs?

Flooded?!!!

Chu Yi’s mind jolted awake, and her sleepiness vanished. She scrambled out of bed, barely steady on her feet, and quickly put on her slippers before opening the bedroom door.

The living room was a mess. Carpets, empty snack bags, and slippers were all floating in the water, swirling around as if the place had become a second Venice.

Chu Yi stared in horror, swallowed hard, and followed the sound of rushing water to the bathroom, where water was continuously gushing out, and the broken pipe on the wall was spewing like a small waterfall.

Her vision blurred, almost making her faint.

Apologizing to the angry neighbors and assuring them that she would take full responsibility, Chu Yi bit her fingers, watching the bathroom anxiously with a mind full of question marks.

What to do? What to do? What to do??????

She didn’t hesitate long. Her first thought was to grab her phone and call home.

Coincidentally, the phone screen lit up with a conversation box from Qiao Anchen, which was still open from two hours ago with just a picture.

【Breakfast】

Because they had talked about food the night before, Chu Yi had expressed curiosity about their prosecutor’s office cafeteria, and Qiao Anchen had promised to send her a photo the next time they had a meal.